Central US may face severe weather outbreak late next week

May and June are the peak of the severe weather season, and it looks like Mother Nature is getting a head start with higher severe thunderstorm chances in the last days of April.

The Russellville and Ozark campuses of Arkansas Tech University are included in the area with the enhanced threat of severe weather on Friday.

Friday was a mostly cloudy, windy and much warmer day across the Arklatex with highs in the mid 80s to near 90 degrees. "All we should have to deal with will be some downpours, occasional lightning, and perhaps some gusty wind".

The first system will approach the WLOX area of South Mississippi on Wednesday night.

Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are possible into Friday's night time hours, mostly in southern IL. Across our area, severe weather will be more isolated in nature versus widespread.

The main threats will be hail and wind, but tornadoes will be possible as well.

The Stormtracker 12 Weather Team is declaring Saturday night a Severe Weather Alert Day across the ArkLaTex.

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